[Anesthesia problem cards-indispensable yet problematic : Nationwide survey on experiences from clinical practice].

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Patient Safety
• Medical Documentation

Background:

• Anesthetic procedures carry risks of severe complications like difficult airways and allergic reactions.
• Adequate preparation can prevent many anesthesia-related complications.
• Anesthesia problem cards were introduced in Germany to standardize documentation and identify at-risk patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical utility and identify challenges associated with anesthesia problem cards.
• To assess the effectiveness of anesthesia problem cards in enhancing patient safety during anesthetic procedures.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was distributed to 19,042 members of the German Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI) and the Professional Association of German Anesthesiologists (BDA).
• A specific subsection of the survey focused on the application, issuance, benefits, and problems of anesthesia problem cards.
• 1783 participants completed the survey subsection regarding anesthesia problem cards.

Main Results:

• 84.2% of participants found anesthesia problem cards useful for patient safety, and 93.4% reported routine issuance after complications.
• Major issues include patients forgetting cards (81.7%), inadequately phrased or illegible information (49.0%, 46.7%), and insufficient space for comments (45.5%).
• Only 41.9% of departments can issue replacement cards with identical information.

Conclusions:

• Anesthesia problem cards are recognized as useful for patient safety and are widely used.
• The current format limits the full potential for risk minimization, necessitating structural changes for improved documentation quality.
• Expanding the content to include a wider spectrum of complications and solutions is crucial for modern anesthetic practice.